Naruto: Reaching the Stars

After the feast, Kisuke and his two friends took a walk around Konoha. The streets were more crowded than usual, with villagers excitedly chatting about their kids joining the academy.

Some spoiled children were throwing tantrums, blaming their civilian parents for not getting them accepted. These were likely kids who had never faced real rejection before.

Kisuke ignored them and focused on enjoying his walk, picking up some snacks along the way, and listened to the chatter around him. He couldn't understand why these villagers acted so oddly. They lived safely in the wealthiest land in the world, yet they had the nerve to badmouth powerful ninjas who could easily kill them if they wanted to.

It seemed like common sense to Kisuke: if someone could kill you with no serious consequences, as long as they had a good reason, it was better to stay on their good side.

Yet these villagers were the source of misery for few powerful ninjas without suffering any form of retaliation.

If it was him who got oppressed, Kisuke can't say for sure how will he react. But he will surely make them stop and not just ignored them.

As they continued their stroll through Konoha, Yoruichi asked, "So, where to next?"

It was around 5 PM, and Minato still had a couple of hours before meeting the ninja who would bring him supplies, so he didn't feel the need to head back just yet.

Kisuke, on the other hand, was feeling a bit bored. The excitement from passing the exam had already faded, and he wasn't in the mood to train since he'd done plenty during the exam. Suddenly, an idea crossed his mind, making him smile.

"Do you still have those paintballs?" Kisuke asked, turning to Yoruichi.

"Yeah, I’ve got plenty. Why?" Yoruichi replied, curious.

"Show me,"

Confused but curious, Yoruichi pulled out a scroll from her pocket. With a puff of smoke, several pouches appeared on the ground, all filled with paintballs.

Kisuke's eyes twitched as he counted twelve pouches. ‘Spoiled rich brat,’ he thought with a smirk.

He grabbed two pouches—one for himself and handed the other to Minato, who looked puzzled.

"What's going on?" Minato asked.

“Since we're all feeling kind of bored, why don't we play a game that's both fun and a form of training?"

"What do you have in mind?" Yoruichi asked, her eyes narrowing with interest.

“We're going to race from here to the usual training ground. Each of us gets one pouch of paintballs. The winner is the one who makes it to the training ground with the least amount of paint on them."

Yoruichi's eyes lit up with excitement. "Oh, this is going to be fun!" she exclaimed, already mentally preparing for the challenge.

Minato hesitated for a moment but then smiled, realizing it was just harmless fun. "Alright, I'm in," he agreed.

With their pouches in hand, the three of them lined up at the starting point. Kisuke took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself to take this more seriously. He hadn't suggested this game purely out of boredom—he saw it as a good opportunity to train his throwing technique, reaction time and evasion skills. Whether it was dodging with body movement, using the Substitution Jutsu, or mastering the Body Flicker, this game had the potential to improve all of them.

He glanced at Yoruichi and Minato. Both were ready and focused, each with their own strategies forming in their minds. Yoruichi was fastest runner among them, and Minato had the fastest reaction time.

Despite the disadvantages, Kisuke knew that if he played his cards right, he could turn this into a real training session for himself. He didn't care about winning as long as he could improve himself.

"Alright," Kisuke said with a grin, "let's see who can stay the cleanest."

Without another word, they launched into action.

And just like that, they took off, dodging paintballs and racing through the village, determined to be the last one standing clean.

****

"Dammit, you guys are such jerks," Yoruichi grumbled as she wiped the paint off her clothes, clearly annoyed by the outcome.

Kisuke couldn't help but grin, enjoying the rare moment of turning the tables on her. "That's what you get for all the times you've messed with us.”

Beside him, Minato chuckled nervously, avoiding direct eye contact with Yoruichi. He didn't want to provoke her any further.

The whole situation had started midway through their paintball game. Kisuke had suggested teaming up against Yoruichi, using the logic that she had more paintballs than either of them, and if they didn't act soon, they would run out of ammo and be at her mercy. After a brief hesitation, Minato agreed, finding Kisuke's reasoning sound. Together, they had double-teamed Yoruichi, despite her protests that it wasn’t fair. But Kisuke had never set strict rules for the game, so they kept at it until they reached the training ground, leaving Yoruichi covered in paint.

Yoruichi's frustration eventually faded, and she couldn't help but smirk. "Alright, alright, you got me this time. But don’t think I’m going to let this slide."

Kisuke chuckled, “I—”

Suddenly, before he could finish, a shadow appeared before them. Instinctively, the three backed away, their senses sharp.

As their eyes adjusted, they saw a man in a dark cloak, wearing a white mask with a red stripe.

‘Anbu…’ Kisuke’s eyes widened in shock. ‘What is he doing here?’

He hadn’t expected to see an Anbu operative, and it was clear this wasn’t a coincidence. The masked figure was here for them.

“Who are you?!” Yoruichi demanded, her voice sharp.

The Anbu ignored her, focusing on Minato instead. "Namikaze Minato," he said calmly. "I need you to come with me."

"Me?" Minato asked, confused.

"Hey, don’t ignore me!" Yoruichi cut in. "Tell us who you are and what you want with him!"

The Anbu stayed silent for a moment, seeing none of them moving. Then he spoke again. "Due to your performance in the entrance exam, the Hokage has requested your presence immediately."

Minato’s eyes widened in surprise. "The Hokage? Really?"

The Anbu nodded. "Yes, it’s urgent. Please follow me."

Minato noticed the Hidden Leaf mark on the man’s mask. He had seen others like him around the village before; this wasn’t an enemy.

‘The Hokage wants to meet me personally?’

Minato hesitated, then glanced at Kisuke and Yoruichi. "Looks like I have to go. We’ll catch up later."

Yoruichi waved lightly. "Be careful."

Minato nodded and stepped forward, but a hand grabbed his shoulder, stopping him.

“Kisuke? What…” Minato began, but felt Kisuke’s grip tighten, making him narrow his eyes.

Kisuke smiled at the ‘Anbu.’ “Sorry ninja-san, but it looks like my friend has a stomachache and urgently needs a bathroom break.” Kisuke placed his free hand behind his back and glanced at Minato. “Right, Minato? Didn’t you say you needed to relieve yourself?”

Feeling the slight pain in his shoulder and seeing Kisuke’s fake smile, Minato realized something was wrong.

“Hehe, now that I think about it, it would be really inconvenient to meet the Hokage like this and embarrass myself.” Minato decided to play along, trusting that Kisuke had a good reason for stopping him.

"Bathroom, you say..." The 'Anbu' shook his head slightly, his voice calm but firm. "Unfortunately, that will have to wait. You need to come with me immediately. We can’t keep the Lord Hokage waiting."

He stepped forward, reaching for Minato.

"That’s a shame…" Kisuke sighed, sounding defeated. But in an instant, his eyes hardened. "Yoruichi, now!"

Without hesitation, Yoruichi threw the paintballs she had prepared. They splattered against the 'Anbu's' mask, covering it in bright colors.

Caught off guard, the sudden splatter made the Anbu stumble back.

“Damn brats!” he cursed, wiping paint from his mask. His vision obscured, he had to remove it, revealing a frustrated face.

Kisuke seized the moment, pulling Minato back and creating distance between them.

“Do you realize what you’ve done, brats?” the 'Anbu' growled. "Attacking a ninja under the Hokage’s command is punishable by death."

Minato and Yoruichi turned to Kisuke, worry clear in their eyes. Even though they trusted him, the 'Anbu’s' threat sent a chill through them.

“Kisuke…” Minato began, his voice tense, while Yoruichi’s gaze asked the same question. What was going on in their friend’s mind?

But Kisuke stayed calm, eyes on the 'Anbu,' smiling nervously as sweat formed on his forehead.

“It’s simple. We attacked you because you lied. You’re not a ninja under the Hokage; you’re working for someone else.”

“Huh, kid, you don’t know what you’re talking about,” the 'Anbu' said, though he narrowed his eyes. ‘Does this kid know something?’

“It’s simple. The Hokage watched the entire entrance exam. If he wanted to talk to Minato, he would’ve done so after his speech. Since he didn’t, you’re lying.”

Kisuke’s suspicions didn’t stop there. While Minato had done well in the exam, so had Yoruichi and a few other clan kids. If the Hokage was interested in their performance, he would’ve called for Yoruichi too. The fact that this ‘Anbu’ only wanted Minato made it suspicious.

But if this man wasn’t working for the Hokage, who sent him?

‘A spy from another village… or Danzo's Root?’

Neither option was good, but Kisuke doubted he was a spy. If he were targeting Konoha’s talented students, he would have killed them instead of trying something so cheap as using the Hokage to lure Minato away.

‘So, it’s that old bastard Danzo.’

Kisuke hadn’t expected the entrance exam to catch Danzo’s attention. He thought they were safe, which is why he didn’t tell his friends to hold back. He had the Kurama clan behind him, and Yoruichi had protection too. Even though the Senju clan was slowly fading, they still had a strong influence in Konoha. Besides, Yoruichi’s father often hired ninja for protection during his business dealings, so she shouldn’t be a target either.

As for Minato, Kisuke assumed he would be safe based on what he knew from the series. But now, he realized his presence might have changed things.

Questions filled his mind, but he had no time to find answers as the 'Anbu' suddenly smiled.

"You’ve got a sharp mind, kid." The 'Anbu' replaced his mask, hiding his face again. "Perhaps you could be useful to my lord."

‘Shit… this is getting serious.’

Kisuke felt the tension rise and quickly warned his friends. "Get ready. We might have to fight."

Yoruichi and Minato understood. The man in front of them wasn’t from the Hokage. They took fighting stances, tense but ready. Minato felt the weight of responsibility. He had dragged his friends into this, and he was determined to protect them. Their resolve to stand by his side only fueled his determination.

‘Whatever it takes, we’ll make it out of here,’ Minato vowed, his grip on a kunai tightening.